• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.321-349
• /
• 1998

Since 1990 the effort for unification has been active in each department of our society. But the study for health policy in Unified Korea has been scarce. Unified Korea should be a democracy and a constitutional state. So we should have lively discussion on the health law as well as unified general laws. The purpose of this study is to compare the health law of South Korea and North Korea and to understand the differences in them. We guess both Korea are considerably different each other. But this study found out that there are many health related laws that have same goals and contents. The reason for this is that both health laws have its root in Korea Law. And the right to health is the social basic right. whose characteristic can not be compatible with market economy and demands state intervention for securing the right to health. The health related laws are divided into 4 fileds. 1. There is a field A which is affected by unified political and economic system and differs little from the law system: the license system of medical personnel. 2. There is a field B which is seldom affected by unified political and economic system and differs little from the law system: the right and duty of medical personnel. quarantine law. 3. There is a field C which is affected by unified political and economic system and differs greatly from the law system: health institution law(exclusive of quarantine law), the laws of medical personnel category, of research center(especially per-mission, registration and establishment). of the role of basic health in private and public area. 4. There is a field D which is seldom affected by unified political and economic system and differs greatly from the law system: health equipment law(the laws of drugs, of cosmetics and of medical instrument. of blood management). the laws of health knowledge. of cooperation in chinese medicine and western medicine. the health promotion law. the rules of first-aid. the law of separation of dispensary from medical practice. The laws which are seldom affected by political and economic system can be consolidated. which in turn can be revised and enacted before unification of Korea through the interchange between North Korea and South Korea and the support to North Korea health system.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.93-106
• /
• 2017

Objectives: This study is aimed to figure out Korean medicine doctors' recognition of Korean Medicine clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and clinical fields of treating primary dysmenorrhea before developing CPG for dysmenorrhea. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey targeting 515 Korean medicine doctors belonging to the Association of Korean Medicine by e-mail and analyzed the answers. Results: 81.2% of the respondents knew the concepts and contents of CPG, and 98.7% agreed about the necessity of CPG. 94.2% were willing to use CPG for dysmenorrhea in learning and treating. Average number of patients visiting the respondents' clinics for dysmenorrhea was 3.9, the main age group was 20s (63.1%), and the treatments the patients given before were mostly Western treatments such as pain killers and hormonal drugs. The respondents answered that they diagnosed patients with dysmenorrhea mainly with pattern diagnosis (41.6%), and treated them with herbal medicine (39.2%), acupuncture (31.6%) and moxibustion (22.6%) for 2-3 months. They answered that the acupoint they use most was San yin jiao, and the prescription was Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, They answered that the field considered to need further study was decoction of herbal medicine most (27.4%), and the field considered to need insurance coverage was also decoction of herbal medicine most (40.2%). Conclusions: We figured out Korean Medicine doctors' recognition of CPG, clinical diagnosis, treatment, cost for treating dysmenorrhea, and fields of clinical research and policy they required.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.159-177
• /
• 2008

Objectives : Crohn's disease is a severe chronic inflammation that is treated mainly by immunosuppression, which often has serious side effects. There is need to develop new therapeutic methods or drugs that have few side effects in order to treat this disease. Acupuncture with Moxi-tar at Cheonchu (ST25) has anti-inflammatory properties, but the mechanism of its anti-inflammatory actions is unclear. We investigated the protective effects and speculated the mechanisms of acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25 on trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis in mice which is a well known Crohn's disease animal model. Methods : 5 % TNBS was treated at day 1 and day 7 into rectum of mice. To investigate therapeutic effects of acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25, acupuncture was carried out on day 3, and day 6. For the data analysis, we observed macroscopic and microscopic findings of the colon. Weight and width of the colon, degree of damage, changes of body weight, and myeloperoxygenase (MPO) activity were checked. For analysing protein expression, we carried out immunohistochemical staining and Western blot. For analysing mRNA expression, RT-PCR was carried out. Results : TNBS induced damages on the colon of mice, while acupuncture of Moxi-tar at ST25 suppressed TNBS mediated damages similar to those on the colons of mice in the control (not treated with TNBS) group. The average body weight of TNBS treated mice (77.4%) was decreased compared with that of the control mice (105%), and acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25 suppressed the loss of body weight caused by TNBS (from 77.4% to 95.3%). TNBS induced infiltration of immune cells in all layers of the colon while acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25 suppressed infiltration of immune cells caused by TNBS. Furthermore, acupunctured with Moxi-tar at ST25 suppressed macro-, micro- colonic damages caused by TNBS. Acupunctured with Moxi-tar at ST25 dramatically improved the clinical and histopathological symptoms such as the increase in weight of the distal colon and the MPO activity in TNBS-induced colitis. Acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25 down-regulated the nuclear transcription factor kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) activity and suppressed tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-${\alpha}$), interleukin-$1{\beta}$ (IL-1${\beta}$), and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expressions caused by TNBS. Conclusions : Acupuncture with Moxi-tar at ST25 helps recovery from the TNBS-induced colonic damage by down-regulation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activity and suppressing of TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-1${\beta}$, and ICAM-1 expressions. This may be an important method for the treatment of Crohn's disease.

• Journal of Mushroom
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.46-51
• /
• 2013

Sparassis crispa is a medicinal mushroom, which has been reported to have anti-cancer effect. In this study, we designed to investigate the effects of Sparassis crispa extracts on the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. The pre-treatment of the extracts prior to add LPS in RAW264.7 cells suppressed NO production and iNOS expression at protein and mRNA levels. The phosphorylation of $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ was inhibited by the extracts, which was induced through suppressing the activation of $NF-{\kappa}B$. Sparassis crispa extracts showed the effect on the down-regulation of STAT-1 activation in a dose-dependent manner. In LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells, $NF-{\kappa}B$ was translocated into the nucleus, while the treatment of Sparassis crispa extracts induced to sequestered $NF-{\kappa}B$ in the cytosol. These experimental results determined that Sparassis crispa extracts play a inhibitory role in inflammatory reactions via regulating NO production, which suggests potential as a component of inflammatory drugs.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.85-98
• /
• 1997

Oriental medicine as a candidate for effective cancer treatment recently gain positive concerns in fields of therapeutic oncology. that is why some herbal medicines have been empirically safer in toxicity than anticancer drugs used in western medicine, and to show excellent therapeutic efficacy in human trial. Thus, these effects by clinically applied-herbs have not yet fully demonstrated in experimental tumor model. This study was initiated to evaluate the antitumor effect of Insambaekhaptang as candidate of antitumor-herbal agent against B16 melanoma metastasized into C57BL/6 mice lung. In experiment to test whether Insambaekhaptang can directly kill cancer cells in vitro or not, Insambaekhaptang showed direct killing action in concentration or higher against B16 melanoma cells using MTT assay, and showed lower IC50. Another experiment to know whether Insambaekhaptang can inhibit growth and metastasis of cancer cell or not, Insambaekhaptang significantly inhibited Solid tumor by intraperiperal injected-melanoma and lung metastasis induced by intravenous injected-melanoma in inbred C57BL/6 mice. When quantitative survival time increasing, we could obtain results that increased 113% in treated by Insambaekhaptang. These results show that Insambaekhaptang can inhibit growth of B16 melanoma cells through various biological mechanisms.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.23
• /
• pp.10413-10420
• /
• 2015

Side effects are an unavoidable consequence of chemotherapy drugs, during which liver injury often takes place. The current study was designed to investigate the protective effect of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) against the hepatotoxicity induced by frequently-used chemical therapy agents, cyclophosphamide (CTX), docetaxel (DTX) and epirubicin (EPI)) in mice. Mice were divided into five groups, controls, low or high dose groups ($DTX_L$, $CTX_L$, $EPI_L$ or $DTX_H$, $CTX_H$, $EPI_H$), and low or high dose chemotherapeutics+APS groups ($DTX_L$+APS, $CTX_L$+APS, $EPI_L$+APS or $DTX_H$+APS, $CTX_H$+APS, $EPI_H$+APS). Controls were treated with equivalent normal saline for 28 days every other day; low or high dose group were intraperitoneal (i.p) injected with low or high doses of CTX, DTX and EPI for 28 days every other day; low or high dose chemotherapeutics+APS group were separately intraperitoneal (i.p) injected with chemotherapeutics for 28 days every other day and i.p with APS (100 mg/kg) for 7 days continually from the 22th to the 28th days. The body weight, serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), histopathological features, and ultrastructure morphological change of liver tissues, protein expression level of caspase-3 were estimated at different time points. With high dose treatment of DTX, CTX and EPI, weight gain was inhibited and serum levels of ALT and AST were significantly increased. Sections of liver tissue showed massive hepatotoxicity in $CTX_H$ group compared to the control group, including hepatic lobule disorder, granular and vacuolar degeneration and necrosis in hepatic cells. These changes were confirmed at ultrastructural level, including obvious pyknosis, heterochromatin aggregation, nuclear membrane resolution, and chondrosome crystal decrease. Western blotting revealed that the protein levels of caspase-3 increased in $CTX_H$ group. The low dose groups exhibited trivial hepatotoxicity. More interestingly, after 100 mg/kg APS, liver injury was redecued not only regarding serum transaminase activities (low or high dose chemotherapeutics+APS group), but also from pathological and ultrastructural changes and the protein levels of caspase-3 ($CTX_H$+APS group). In conclusion, DTX, CTX and EPI induce liver damage in a dose dependent manner, whereas APS exerted protective effects.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.153-160
• /
• 2016

The objective was to investigate the hypoglycemic action of catalpol in spontaneous diabetes db/db mice. 40 db/db mice were randomly divided into five groups: model control gourp; db/db plus catalpol 40, 80, 120 mg/kg body wt. groups and db/db plus metformin 250 mg/kg group. Age-matched db/m mice were selected as normal control group. The mice were administered with corresponding drugs or solvent by gavage for 4 weeks. The oral glucose tolerance test was carried out at the end of $3^{rd}$ week. After 4 weeks of treatment, the concentrations of fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated serum protein (GSP), insulin (INS), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and adiponection (APN) in serum were detected. The protein expressions of phosphorylation-$AMPK{\alpha}$1/2 in liver, phosphorylation-$AMPK{\alpha}$1/2 and glucose transporter-4 (GLUT-4) in skeletal muscle and adipose tissues were detected by western blot. Real time RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and Hydroxymethyl glutaric acid acyl CoA reductase (HMGCR) in liver. Our results showed that catalpol could significantly improve the insulin resistance, decrease the serum concentrations of INS, GSP, TG, and TC. The concentrations of APN in serum, the protein expression of phosphorylation-$AMPK{\alpha}$1/2 in liver, phosphorylation-$AMPK{\alpha}$1/2 and GLUT-4 in peripheral tissue were increased. Catalpol could also down regulate the mRNA expressions of ACC and HMGCR in liver. In conclusion, catalpol ameliorates diabetes in db/db mice. It has benefit effects against lipid/glucose metabolism disorder and insulin resistance. The mechanism may be related to up-regulating the expression of phosphorylation-$AMPK{\alpha}$1/2.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.257-266
• /
• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Licorice has been shown to possess cancer chemopreventive effects. However, glycyrrhizin, a major component in licorice, was found to interfere with steroid metabolism and cause edema and hypertension. The roasting process of licorice modifies the chemical composition and converts glycyrrhizin to glycyrrhetinic acid. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-carcinogenic effects of the ethanol extract of roasted licorice (EERL) and to identify the active compound in EERL. MATERIALS/METHODS: Ethanol and aqueous extracts of roasted and un-roasted licorice were prepared. The active fraction was separated from the methylene chloride (MC)-soluble fraction of EERL and the structure of the purified compound was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The anti-carcinogenic effects of licorice extracts and licochalcone A was evaluated using a MTT assay, Western blot, flow cytometry, and two-stage skin carcinogenesis model. RESULTS: EERL was determined to be more potent and efficacious than the ethanol extract of un-roasted licorice in inhibiting the growth of DU145 and MLL prostate cancer cells, as well as HT-29 colon cancer cells. The aqueous extracts of un-roasted and roasted licorice showed minimal effects on cell growth. EERL potently inhibited growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast, B16-F10 melanoma, and A375 and A2058 skin cancer cells, whereas EERL slightly stimulated the growth of normal IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells and CCD118SK fibroblasts. The MC-soluble fraction was more efficacious than EERL in inhibiting DU145 cell growth. Licochalcone A was isolated from the MC fraction and identified as the active compound of EERL. Both EERL and licochalcone A induced apoptosis of DU145 cells. EERL potently inhibited chemically-induced skin papilloma formation in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Non-polar compounds in EERL exert potent anti-carcinogenic effects, and that roasted rather than un-roasted licorice should be favored as a cancer preventive agent, whether being used as an additive to food or medicine preparations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.18
• /
• pp.8503-8512
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed explanation of the mechanism of bisanthracycline, WP 631 in comparison to doxorubicin (DOX), a first generation anthracycline, currently the most widely used pharmaceutical in clinical oncology. Experiments were performed in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells which are otherwise resistant to standard drugs such as cis-platinum and adriamycin. As attention was focused on the ability of WP 631 to induce apoptosis, this was examined using a double staining method with Annexin V and propidium iodide probes, with measurement of the level of intracellular calcium ions and cytosolic cytochrome c. The western blotting technique was performed to confirm PARP cleavage. We also investigated the involvement of caspase activation and DNA degradation (comet assay and immunocytochemical detection of phosphorylated H2AX histones) in the development of apoptotic events. WP 631 demonstrated significantly higher effectiveness as a pro-apoptotic drug than DOX. This was evident in the higher levels of markers of apoptosis, such as the externalization of phosphatidylserine and the elevated level of cytochrome c. An extension of incubation time led to an increase in intracellular calcium levels after treatment with DOX. Lower changes in the calcium content were associated with the influence of WP 631. DOX led to the activation of all tested caspases, 8, 9 and 3, whereas WP 631 only induced an increase in caspase 8 activity after 24h of treatment and consequently led to the cleavage of PARP. The lack of active caspase 3 had no outcome on the single and double-stranded DNA breaks. The obtained results show that WP 631 was considerably more genotoxic towards the investigated cell line than DOX. This effect was especially visible after longer times of incubation. The above detailed studies indicate that WP 631 generates early apoptosis and cell death independent of caspase-3, detected at relatively late time points. The observed differences in the mechanisms of the action of WP631 and DOX suggest that this bisanthracycline can be an effective alternative in ovarian cancer treatment.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.75 no.1
• /
• pp.9-17
• /
• 2013

Background: In cancer cells, autophagy is generally induced as a pro-survival mechanism in response to treatment-associated genotoxic and metabolic stress. Thus, concurrent autophagy inhibition can be expected to have a synergistic effect with chemotherapy on cancer cell death. Monensin, a polyether antibiotic, is known as an autophagy inhibitor, which interferes with the fusion of autophagosome and lysosome. There have been a few reports of its effect in combination with anticancer drugs. We performed this study to investigate whether erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor, or rapamycin, an mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, is effective in combination therapy with monensin in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Methods: NCI-H1299 cells were treated with rapamycin or erlotinib, with or without monensin pretreatment, and then subjected to growth inhibition assay, apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle analysis on the basis of the DNA contents histogram. Finally, a Western blot analysis was done to examine the changes of proteins related to apoptosis and cell cycle control. Results: Monensin synergistically increases growth inhibition and apoptosis induced by rapamycin or erlotinib. The number of cells in the sub-$G_1$ phase increases noticeably after the combination treatment. Increase of proapoptotic proteins, including bax, cleaved caspase 3, and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, and decrease of anti-apoptotic proteins, bcl-2 and bcl-xL, are augmented by the combination treatment with monensin. The promoters of cell cycle progression, notch3 and skp2, decrease and p21, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, accumulates within the cell during this process. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that concurrent autophagy inhibition could have a role in lung cancer treatment.